Challenges and Prospects of Local Development Plan Implementation in Dire Dawa: The Case of Kezira City Center

Abstract

In the history of Ethiopian urban development, planned urban development is a recent phenomenon especially in Dire Dawa. In the past, many endeavors were made to guide the development of Dire Dawa in a planned manner. For instance, Kezira is the first urban center in Ethiopia developed with a proper plan since the beginning of the ‘Gezira’ plan of 1909. Recently, various local development plans have been developed as a means to realize the structure plan of the city. However,  so  far  no  study  has  been  conducted  that  critically  analyzes the implementation challenges of the Local Development Plans in Dire Dawa. The purpose of this study is therefore to assess the administrative challenges and prospects in the implementation of Kezira Local Development Plan (LDP) in Dire Dawa City. To this effect, three research questions were employed to guide the study. These were: 1) what are the major factors that necessitate LDP in the city; 2) what are the administrative challenges hindering the implementation of Kezira LDP; and 3) what are the major prospects in the realization of LDPs in the city? Moreover, two data gathering techniques: simple random sampling and purposive sampling were used to obtain relevant data required for the study. In the primary data gathering technique, questionnaire that were designed and distributed to Kezira residents were used. For further elaboration, interviews were conducted with selected officials and experts from Dire Dawa Land Development and Management Bureau. Secondary data from different sources were employed. The data gathered from both primary and secondary sources were analyzed using descriptive and statistical methods such as percentages, tables, charts, and photos. The results of the study indicated that factors like centrality, strategic, and comparative and competitive advantages of the study area necessitated LDP intervention. Lack of adequate and experienced professional staff, poor documentation of plan implementation records, shortage of budget, lack of commitment of management and lack of political attention for public concerns, proliferation of rent seeking attitudes, lack of operational manuals and procedures, and the existence of significant number of bi-national properties (belonging to Ethiopia and Djibouti) such as housings in the study area were major challenges encountered in Kezira LDP implementation. The major prospects for the implementation of LDP in the city were the redevelopment, and other policy and regulatory interventions being made by the Federal and the City Administration of Dire Dawa. Finally, based on the analysis and conclusions, possible recommendations were suggested for alleviating the major challenges of LDP implementation in the study area. Thus, it is recommended that the Land Development Management Bureau should work in collaboration with the community and other relevant stakeholders and exert all possible efforts to mitigate the challenges and thereby enhance the performance of LDP projects in the city in general.

Keywords: Urban Development, Kezira, Local Development Plan.

DOI: 10.7176/CER/12-2-03

Publication date: February 29^th 2020